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On plenty of occasions yesterday, Moss would stay on the sideline until right before the huddle was broken and, at the last minute, run on to the field with another receiver racing off. On others, Moss would be in the huddle until right before it broke, and come out at the last second.

Why? It's simple: Force the Jets to make a call based on the personnel on the field and, then, make them adjust quickly.

It's a difficult situation to be in and, more than anything else, illustrates the respect that must be paid to a player of Moss' caliber. Coverage and rush packages must be called with Moss in mind, and there are very few players that command that kind of respect.

One of the more coherent post-game analyses I've read to date. Breer breaks down the essential activities of the team and demonstrates the impact to the game. He does not take short cuts or stoop to rumor, speculation, or personalities in the process of providing inside information. If one of the two local newspapers was on the ball, they'd give him a full-time position as the Pats beat writer. Between Reiss and Breer, we'd have at least two sources who are trustworthy and focused on the essentials that influence the game and the team's performance.

Wow! What a simple but amazing mind game to keep the defense guessing! Thanks for posting this. (Wish the Bolts don't read this! )

And an excellent job by Breer to point out these crucial titbits that many of us, including the other writers/announcers, wouldn't even notice.

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Actually, I hope the Bolts do read it. Whether they know we are doing it or not, they still have to react and cover. If they try and plan in advance, it could lead to some interesting personnel mismatches that our man Tom will quickly exploit.

I noticed that at the game too. McDaniels was subbing alot, and playing alot of games with the substitutions. I thought it was actually a really good strategy, and it seemed to confuse the defense quite a bit. This team is so deep that you can have 4 or 5 packages for any situation that are completely interchangeable. It's one of those little things you miss on TV because the feed doesn't show the huddle.

So, in some cases, Moss is in the huddle, then runs off and another receiver runs in. What are the chances that the last-second receiver has a role in the play? Yeah, he could take the quick dart on the line of scrimmage, but if the corner plays up close with his eye in the backfield, he can immediately support the run defense. What are the chances that the Pats have too many men on the field, or take too much time? And if Moss is coming in late, he has no communication with Brady. Does he understand the route? The defense? It would be interesting to see how many times he was the primary target on those plays.

I'm not a big fan of the quick-snap sneak play, or stuff like that. Not really compelling football. I understand that some of those plays convert third downs or prevent challenges, but this sneaking receivers in and out seems to have more downside than upside.